Building-light.



J. STANLEY.

BUILDING LIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED JIQLY 25, 1911.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

I 8 e m J N WITNESSES ATTORNEYS COLUMBlA-PLANOGRAPH CD.,\VA5NINCITON. D.c.

JAMES STANLEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BUILDING-LIGHT.

Application filed July 25, :1911.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

Serial No. 640,378.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES STANLEY, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of the city of New York, borough of the Bronx, in the countyand State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Building- Light,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved buildinglight for use on sidewalks, vault covers, area lights, sky lights andthe like, and arranged to compensate for expansion and contraction, witha view to prevent breaking or cracking of the lenses.

For the purpose mentioned, use is made of a acket or a sheath of cork,inclosing the lens at the peripheral face and leaving the top and bottomfree for the refraction of the light.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bothviews.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lens and its jacket of cork inposition, part of the jacket being shown broken out; and Fig. 2 is asectional perspective view of the building light and showing the lensand its jacket embedded in reinforced concrete.

The lens A. is surrounded on its peripheral face by a jacket or sheathB, formed from a thin sheet of cork, having its meeting edges Bpreferably serrated and interlocked, as plainly indicated in Fig. 1, andthe said lens with its jacket B is embedded in concrete C, preferablyprovided with reinforcements D, or set in a suitable metallic frame orthe like. The peripheral face of the lens A is provided at its middlewith a swelled portion A so that the lens A with its acket is securelyheld in the plastic concrete material C, and in case pressure is appliedto the top of the lens A the latter can yield at the lower half of theswelled portion A owing to the jacket B being of cork, and forming aseat or cushion for the lens, without danger of the lens being crackedor pushed through the embedding material.

In practice, the sheet of cork is shaped to conform to the peripheralface of the lens A to form a close-fitting acket or sheath for the lens.The inner surface of the jacket or sheath B of cork is preferablypainted white, so as to insure a proper refraction of the light throughthe lens A, the under surface of which is made hollow and provided withrefracting surfaces A as plainly incli- 'oated 1n Fig. 2. In order tosecurely hold the jacket or sheath B in place on the lens A, it ispreferably glued, pasted or cemented onto the peripheral face of thelens A.

It will be noticed that the lens with its jacket or sheath can bereadily manufactured and held ready for use at any time, it beingunderstood that the lens with its sheath or jacket forms an article ofmanufacture, in itself, which can be set in embedding material wheneverdesired. By having the sheath made of cork it is rendered exceedinglydurable, that is, it is not liable to deteriorate by contact with theembedding material, and its resiliency is not impaired, and hence itreadily compensates for any expansion or contraction in the buildinglight and prevents breaking or cracking of the lens.

Building lights, as is well known, are subjected to severe strains byexpansion and contraction, by mercantile traffic over the same and bythe inclemency of the weather, notably moisture, and by using aclose-fitting jacket of cork in preference to any other material thelenses are relieved of undue strains owing to the resilient quality ofthe cork, and moisture is not liable to enter or leak in or pass throughthe jacket and cause deterioration of the same. Cork has also thefollowing additional advantages over other materials heretofore employedfor setting lenses: It is resilient and takes up the expansion andcontraction caused by changes in the temperature in the solid materialssurrounding it and prevents the fracturing of the lens; it is anon-conductor of heat; it is a non-conductor of sound and gives to apavement when used a lack of noise so common in ordinary pavements; itdoes not deteriorate like putties used in setting lenses, as when thesesubstances evaporate, they become useless; it is not affected by acidsor alkalies; it is not affected by temperature; it is in a sensewaterproof, but expands slightly by application of water which isbeneficial in this specific purpose; and being softer material than thatwhich it surrounds it wears faster and leaves the surface of thepavement serrated, giving a firmer foot hold and an anti-slippingsurface.

Having thus described my invention, I

- swelled middle portion, and a jacket formed of a thin sheet of corksurrounding the peripheral face of the lens and having its meeting edgesunited.

4. A building light, comprising a lens provided at its peripheral facewith a swelled middle portion, and a jacket formed of a thin sheet ofcork surrounding the peripheral face of the lens and having its meetingedges serrated and interlocked.

5. As a new article of manufacture a building light, comprising-a lenshaving in its under face a cavity, the wall of which is of irregularform, forming refracting surfaces, and a cork acket having its innersurface painted white and surrounding. the peripheral face of the lens.

6. A building light, comprising a lens provided at its peripheral facewith a swelled middle portion, a jacket of cork surrounding theperipheral face, and a plastic material in which the said lens and itsjacket are embedded.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

' JAMES STANLEY.

WVitnesses Tnno. G. Hosrnn, PHILIP D. RoLLHAUs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

